Lord Lyon King of Arms
Encyclopedia
The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State
in Scotland and is the Scottish
official with responsibility for regulating heraldry
in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon
, the oldest heraldic court in the world that is still in daily operation. The post was in the early nineteenth century held by an important nobleman, the Earl of Kinnoull
, whose functions were in practice carried out by the Lyon-Depute. The practice of appointing Lyon-Deputes, however, ceased in 1866.
The Lord Lyon is responsible for overseeing state ceremonial in Scotland, for the granting of new arms
to persons or organisations, and for confirming proven pedigrees and claims to existing arms.
As Lyon Court is a government department, fees paid for granting coats of arms are paid to the Treasury. The misuse of arms is a criminal offence in Scotland, and treated as tax evasion. Prosecutions are brought before Lyon Court, Lord Lyon being the sole judge. Appeals from the Lyon Court can be made to the Court of Session
in Edinburgh. There is no appeal if the Lord Lyon refuses to grant a coat of arms, as this is not a judicial function, but an exercise of his Ministerial function, although an appeal by way of judicial review may succeed if it can be shown that the Lord Lyon acted unreasonably.
The Lord Lyon has several English equivalents:
The Lord Lyon is also one of the few individuals in Scotland officially permitted to fly the "Lion Rampant", the Royal Standard of Scotland
.
Recently, a new crown has been made for the Lord Lyon, modelled on the Scottish Royal crown among the Honours of Scotland
. This crown has removable arches (like one of the late Queen Mother's crowns) which will be removed at coronations to avoid any hint of lèse majesté
.
Great Officer of State
In the United Kingdom, the Great Officers of State are traditional Crown ministers, who either inherit their positions or are appointed to exercise certain largely ceremonial functions. Separate Great Officers exist for England and Scotland, and formerly for Ireland...
in Scotland and is the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
official with responsibility for regulating heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon
Court of the Lord Lyon
The Court of the Lord Lyon, also known as the Lyon Court, is a standing court of law which regulates heraldry in Scotland. Like the College of Arms in England it maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, as well as records of...
, the oldest heraldic court in the world that is still in daily operation. The post was in the early nineteenth century held by an important nobleman, the Earl of Kinnoull
Earl of Kinnoull
Earl of Kinnoull is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for George Hay, 1st Viscount of Dupplin. Other associated titles are: Viscount Dupplin , Lord Hay of Kinfauns and Baron Hay of Pedwardine . The former two are in the Peerage of Scotland, while the last is in the Peerage...
, whose functions were in practice carried out by the Lyon-Depute. The practice of appointing Lyon-Deputes, however, ceased in 1866.
The Lord Lyon is responsible for overseeing state ceremonial in Scotland, for the granting of new arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
to persons or organisations, and for confirming proven pedigrees and claims to existing arms.
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
in Edinburgh. There is no appeal if the Lord Lyon refuses to grant a coat of arms, as this is not a judicial function, but an exercise of his Ministerial function, although an appeal by way of judicial review may succeed if it can be shown that the Lord Lyon acted unreasonably.
The Lord Lyon has several English equivalents:
- Being responsible for Scottish state ceremonies he parallels the Earl MarshalEarl MarshalEarl Marshal is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England...
in EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
- The Lord Lyon is the heraldic authority for Scotland, much as the English Kings of ArmsKing of ArmsKing of Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms. In many heraldic traditions, only a king of arms has the authority to grant armorial bearings. In other traditions, the power has been delegated to other officers of similar rank.-Heraldic duties:...
are responsible for granting arms in England.
- Lord Lyon is Scotland's only "King of Arms", or high heraldic officer. England has three: the Garter PrincipalGarter Principal King of ArmsThe Garter Principal King of Arms is the senior King of Arms, and the senior Officer of Arms of the College of Arms. He is therefore the most powerful herald within the jurisdiction of the College – primarily England, Wales and Northern Ireland – and so arguably the most powerful in the world...
, the ClarenceuxClarenceux King of ArmsClarenceux King of Arms is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Clarenceux is the senior of the two provincial kings of arms and his jurisdiction is that part of England south of the River Trent. The office almost certainly existed in 1420, and there is a fair degree of...
(responsible for southern England), and the Norroy and UlsterNorroy and Ulster King of ArmsNorroy and Ulster King of Arms is one of the senior Officers of Arms of the College of Arms, and the junior of the two provincial Kings of Arms. The current office is the combination of two former appointments...
(responsible for northern England and Northern Ireland). Unlike the English Kings of ArmsKing of ArmsKing of Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms. In many heraldic traditions, only a king of arms has the authority to grant armorial bearings. In other traditions, the power has been delegated to other officers of similar rank.-Heraldic duties:...
, who cannot grant arms without a warrant from the (English) Earl Marshal, Lyon does not need permission, but grants by his own power.
- Whilst in England the Court of ChivalryCourt of ChivalryHer Majesty's High Court of Chivalry of England and Wales is a civil court in England. It has had jurisdiction in cases of the misuse of heraldic arms since the fourteenth century....
(which last met in 1954) is a civil court, in Scotland the Lyon Court meets often and has criminal jurisdiction. Lord Lyon is empowered to have assumed coats of arms, and whatever they are affixed to, destroyed. As an example, when LeithLeith-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
Town Hall, now used as a police station, was renovated during the 1990s, several of the coats of arms decorating the Council Chamber were found to be attributed to the wrong person. The police were given special permission to retain the display, on condition that the tourist guides pointed out the historical anomalies.
The Lord Lyon is also one of the few individuals in Scotland officially permitted to fly the "Lion Rampant", the Royal Standard of Scotland
Royal Standard of Scotland
The Royal Standard of Scotland, , also known as the Banner of the King of Scots, or more commonly the Lion Rampant of Scotland, is the Scottish Royal Banner of Arms...
.
Recently, a new crown has been made for the Lord Lyon, modelled on the Scottish Royal crown among the Honours of Scotland
Honours of Scotland
The Honours of Scotland, also known as the Scottish regalia and the Scottish Crown Jewels, dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, are the oldest set of crown jewels in the British Isles. The existing set were used for the coronation of Scottish monarchs from 1543 to 1651...
. This crown has removable arches (like one of the late Queen Mother's crowns) which will be removed at coronations to avoid any hint of lèse majesté
Lèse majesté
Lese-majesty is the crime of violating majesty, an offence against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or against a state.This behavior was first classified as a criminal offence against the dignity of the Roman republic in Ancient Rome...
.
List of Office Holders
(incomplete)- Alexander Nairne (1437–1450)
- Duncan DundasDuncan DundasDuncan Dundas was Lord Lyon King of Arms of Scotland from 1450 until 1490. The son of James Dundas of that Ilk, Duncan was much noted in his time and was frequently employed in embassies to England. He is said to have discharged his duty in those negotiations "with integrity and honour"...
(1450–1488) - Sir Andrew Murray of Truim (1488-1496)
- Henry Thomson of Keillour (1496–1512)
- Sir William Cumyng of Inverallochy (1512–1519)
- Thomas Pettigrew of Magdalensyde (1519-1542)
- Sir David Lyndsay of the MountDavid LyndsaySir David Lyndsay of the Mount, was a Scottish Lord Lyon and poet of the 16th century, whose works reflect the spirit of the Renaissance.-Biography:...
(1542–1555) - Sir Robert Forman, made herald 1540, (1555–1567)
- Sir William Stewart (1567–1568)
- Sir David Lindsay of Rathillet (1568–1591)
- Sir David Lindsay of the Mount (Secundus) (1591–1621)
- Sir Jerome Lindsay (1621–1630)
- Sir James BalfourJames Balfour of DenmyineSir James Balfour of Denmylne, 1st Baronet, of Perth and Kinross, Scotland, Scottish annalist and antiquary.He was well acquainted with Sir William Segar and with William Dugdale, to whose Monasticon he contributed. He was knighted by Charles I of Scotland in 1630, was made Lord Lyon King of Arms...
(1630–1658) - Sir James Campbell (1658–1660)
- Gilbert Stewart (1660)
- Sir Alexander Dundas (1660–1663)
- Sir Charles Erskine, Bt (1663–1677)
- Sir Alexander Erskine (1677–1726)
- Alexander Brodie of that Ilk (1727–1754)
- John Hooke-Campbell (1754–1796)
- The 10th Earl of KinnoullRobert Hay-Drummond, 10th Earl of KinnoullRobert Auriol Hay-Drummond, 10th Earl of Kinnoull was a peer of Scotland and Lord Lyon King of Arms. He was the son of the Most Reverend Robert Hay and Henrietta Auriol. On 19 April 1779, he married his first wife, Julia Eyre. On 8 June 1781, he married again, this time to Sarah Harley...
(1796–1804) - The 11th Earl of KinnoullThomas Hay-Drummond, 11th Earl of KinnoullThomas Robert Hay-Drummond, 11th Earl of Kinnoull was the son of Robert Hay-Drummond, 10th Earl of Kinnoull. He served as Lord Lyon King of Arms from 1804 until 1866, succeeding his father in that office...
(1804–1866) - George BurnettGeorge Burnett (officer of arms)George Burnett, LLD, WS was a long-serving Scottish officer of arms. He was the second son of John Burnett, Fifth Laird of Kemnay. He was appointed Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1866 and served in that post until his death in 1890. He also served as Ambassador to Paris for 19 years, resigning the...
(1866–90) - Sir James Balfour PaulJames Balfour PaulSir James Balfour Paul, KCVO was the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the officer responsible for heraldry in Scotland, from 1890 until the end of 1926....
(1890–1927) - Captain George SwintonGeorge SwintonCaptain George Sitwell Campbell Swinton, DL was a long serving Scottish politician and officer of arms.Swinton was born in Edinburgh, the second son of Archibald Campbell Swinton of Kimmerghame, Berwickshire, and Georgiana Caroline Sitwell, daughter of Sir George Sitwell, 2nd Baronet of Renishaw....
(1927–1929) - Sir Francis Grant (1929–1945)
- Sir Thomas Innes of LearneyThomas Innes of LearneySir Thomas Innes of Learney, GCVO, WS was Lord Lyon from 1945 to 1969, after having been Carrick Pursuivant and Albany Herald in the 1930s. He was a very active Lord Lyon, strongly promoting his views of what his office was through his writings and pronouncements in his Court. In 1950, he...
(1945–1969) - Sir James Grant (1969–1981)
- Sir Malcolm Innes of EdingightMalcolm Innes of EdingightSir Malcolm Rognvald Innes of Edingight, KCVO, WS, FSA Scot. was Lord Lyon King of Arms of Scotland from 1981 until 2001.The third son of Sir Thomas Innes of Learney and Lady Lucy Buchan, third daughter of the 18th Earl of Caithness, he was educated at Edinburgh Academy and at the University of...
(1981–2001) - Robin Orr Blair (2001–2008)
- William David Hamilton Sellar (2008–)